Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 13 January 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Highlands and Islands Enterprise and whether the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme was discussed.

Ross Finnie: Meetings take place on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters. Officials carrying out the review of the Crofters Commission met officials of Highlands and Islands Enterprise in August 1999 and the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme was one of the items covered in that discussion but it has not been on the agenda for any meeting since then.

Asylum Seekers

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the First Minister what specific discussions he has had with the Home Office and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on the issue of asylum seekers.

Donald Dewar: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including asylum seekers. As a result, we have reached agreement that we will review operation of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in Scotland some 18 months after its implementation. This will have regard specifically to the devolved matters of housing, health and education.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the meetings it has had with Her Majesty’s Government to negotiate Concordats with it, including the Ministers involved and minutes of the meetings.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. The Memorandum of Understanding and over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-866 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will now publish the draft Concordats it has received from Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: The final texts were published on 1 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether Concordats received from Her Majesty’s Government are identical to those received by all devolved administrations in the United Kingdom and, if not, in which respects the draft Concordats it has received are different.

Mr Jim Wallace: The texts are identical.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will list the subject areas covered by the draft Concordats received from Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: The agreed texts were published on 1 October and endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October. These documents set out the areas covered.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will provide a detailed account of the process for finalising the Concordats following the submission of its official response to Her Majesty’s Government’s drafts, and in particular whether it will specify what procedures are in place for resolving any dispute or disagreement on their contents between it and Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: The drafts of the Memorandum of Understanding and supporting Concordats have now been published and they were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will publish its official response to the draft Concordats it has received from Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Memorandum of Understanding and over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will consult the Scottish Parliament prior to finalising its official response to Her Majesty’s Government on its draft Concordats; and prior to reaching final agreement on their contents.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Memorandum of Understanding and over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will provide details of future Minister meetings scheduled to discuss and negotiate the finalisation of the draft Concordats.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Memorandum of Understanding and certain over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its code of practice regarding access to information obliges it to publish the draft Concordats received from Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: No, but once they were agreed the Concordats were published and presented to the Parliament for endorsement.

Concordats

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what will be the legal status of the draft Concordats between it and Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: Concordats are administrative agreements. It is not intended that they should constitute a legally enforceable contract, or create any rights or obligations which are legally enforceable, between the Scottish Ministers and the UK Government.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the money it has pledged through the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund will also go towards the funding of rape crisis centres or whether a separate allocation will be made.

Jackie Baillie: The bidding guidance for the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund makes it clear that we will be considering bids from local authorities in partnership with voluntary organisations in their area. A rape crisis centre may well be one of those organisations.

First Minister

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail what matters were discussed at the last meeting between the First Minister and the Prime Minister.

Donald Dewar: No. The specific details of these discussions are private.

Fuel Poverty

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been done to identify the number of households suffering from fuel poverty in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Highlands and Islands, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and the Western Isles and what are the results of such work, indicating the levels of fuel poverty in each area.

Mr Frank McAveety: This information is not available.

Further Education

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the drop out rate in higher education institutions from the current 20% and what assessment it has made of the return of full maintenance grant as a way of reducing this figure.

Nicol Stephen: They are currently being scrutinised by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. I want to see an improvement on the position and we will seek an early meeting with the Council.

  Reasons for leaving higher education are varied and finance normally comes seventh or eighth in the reasons given by students.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, given the almost 50% increase in bed usage in the Lothian Universities Hospital Trust for the first week of January, whether it will confirm that all hospital trusts in Scotland will be able to engage extra staff and to utilise whatever facilities are required to cope with the possible influenza epidemic.

Susan Deacon: Although all NHS Trusts in Scotland are currently under severe pressure, they have all planned for winter pressures and are coping. Trust plans have included the reduction of non-emergency admissions, creation of additional capacity for short-term peaks and the use of agency nursing staff.

Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make additional resources available to Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust in the light of the Trust requiring to relax restrictions on overtime and use agency nurses to cope with the increasing number of flu cases.

Susan Deacon: Tayside will receive its fair share of the extra £300 million made available to the NHS in Scotland this year and of the additional £290 million for next year.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the total cost of providing Beta Interferon treatment to people who suffer from multiple sclerosis in Scotland for the current financial year.

Susan Deacon: It is not possible to specify the total cost of providing Beta Interferon treatment to people who suffer from multiple sclerosis in Scotland for the current financial year because the number of people who suffer from multiple sclerosis in Scotland is not known. Also, not all patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis would benefit from this treatment.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why 53% of charges laid by the police under section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1991, death by dangerous driving, have been downgraded to section 3, careless driving, by the Crown Office since 1991.

Lord Hardie: Crown Office does not "downgrade" police charges. As a matter of law, the decision whether to prosecute an individual and, if so, on what charges, is a matter for the Crown, not the police. Charges preferred by the police following a fatal road traffic accident give early notice to the accused of likely or possible criminal charges, but the decision regarding criminal proceedings is taken later, by Crown Counsel, after a detailed investigation by the Procurator Fiscal. I have recently written in detail on this matter to the Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, on which Mr Gallie serves.

Justice

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made a submission to the Parole Board for Scotland in connection with Barbara Glover’s sentence.

Mr Jim Wallace: In accordance with section 2 of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993, the Parole Board, sitting as a Designated Life Tribunal, will consider on 24 January 2000 whether or not Miss Barbara Glover requires to continue to be confined for the protection of the public. In accordance with standard procedures, a statement recording Scottish Minister’s views on that matter has been submitted to the Parole Board. In accordance with the Parole Board (Scotland) Rules 1993, any information in connection with the proceedings before a Tribunal shall not be disclosed, either directly or indirectly, to any person not involved in those proceedings or to the public, except –

  (i) insofar as the chairman of the Tribunal otherwise directs; or

  (ii) in connection with any court proceedings.

  Accordingly, it would not be appropriate to comment any further on this matter.

Justice

Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what protection will be afforded to the family of Diane Watson in the light of the threats they have received since making a submission to the Parole Board for Scotland on Barbara Glover’s sentence.

Mr Jim Wallace: If the family of the late Diane Watson have received threats to their safety they should bring the matter to the attention of the police.

Miners

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government to ensure that the compensation due to Scottish miners, their widows and families under the package agreed in June 1999 is paid as a matter of urgency.

Henry McLeish: The Executive is keeping closely in touch with Her Majesty’s Government on the progress of compensation due to Scottish ex-miners, their widows and families. As of 2 January 2000, 254 full and final payments had been made to Scottish ex-miners, totalling over £500,000. A further £2.5 million had been disbursed as interim payments to Scottish ex-miners and their families.

  Prior to the signing of the Handling Agreement for England and Wales in September the Department of Trade and Industry had commenced discussions with Scottish solicitors to adapt the Agreement to take into consideration the differences between English and Scots law. The DTI expects to sign an agreement with Scottish solicitors shortly and this will enable the number of offers to Scottish ex-miners to increase.

Ministers

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister next intends to visit the City of Aberdeen and with whom he intends to meet.

Donald Dewar: I have no fixed plans to visit Aberdeen but expect my Ministerial duties to take me there in the near future.

Police

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the First Minister how much extra funding Scottish police authorities used in policing the millennium compared with the amount forecast.

Donald Dewar: That information is not yet available, but the Scottish Executive provided an additional £4.7 million grant to police forces, announced by the Deputy First Minister on 8 October.

Poverty

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current methodology for allocating financial resources to tackle deprivation is effective in identifying all areas of relative poverty and social and economic disadvantage.

Jackie Baillie: : Across the Executive’s programmes, a number of methods of allocating resources for tackling deprivation are used. As we said in the Social Justice Report published in November 1999, we will be exploring how planning systems can be developed to ensure expenditure is effective and relevant to the problems experienced by particular groups and communities.

Student Finance

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made and, if so, what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 1 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 7 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 8 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 22 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 23 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 32 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 33 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 35 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimates have been made, and if so what they are, of the affect on student access to higher education of recommendation 40 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance.

Henry McLeish: The basis of the recommendations made in its report are a matter for the Committee of Inquiry. The Committee did, however, have terms of reference that required it to have regard to the desirability of promoting access to further and higher education particularly for those groups currently under-represented. The Executive is currently considering the report and its recommendations.

Transport

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons are for deleting a strategic road link between Dumfries and the M74 from the Dumfries and Galloway Structure Plan.

Sarah Boyack: A study by the (former) Scottish Office concluded that there is no need for a new road from the A74(M) to Dumfries. The Scottish Executive is content that the existing strategic road links are satisfactory.

Transport

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the positive environmental impact, if any, if the M74 Northern Extension is not built.

Sarah Boyack: The appraisal of the M74 Northern Extension carried out for the Strategic Roads Review indicated that the scheme would have negative effects on a range of environmental indicators, namely noise and vibration, water quality and drainage, ecology, visual impacts, heritage and landscape character. The appraisal indicated that 20 listed buildings would be adversely effected by the scheme.

Transport

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make the Scottish Enterprise study on the economic impact of non-construction of the proposed M74 Northern Extension available for public scrutiny.

Sarah Boyack: I have arranged for a copy of the summary report on the study ( Scottish Enterprise – M74 Northern Extension, Economic Impact Assessment, Report Summary ) to be lodged in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will conduct a further review of strategic roads and transport corridors.

Sarah Boyack: The recently completed strategic roads review examined the schemes inherited in May 1997. The Executive has no plans for a further review. We will be concentrating our efforts on delivering the five schemes and the corridor studies announced on 4 November.

  I also refer Mr Tosh to my answer to question S1W-2899. It explains how we intend to identify future priorities for investment in the motorway and trunk road network.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism exists for roads not included in the recent Scottish Strategic Roads Review to be assessed in future for major upgrading by the Scottish Executive.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive has prepared Route Profiles of all routes in the trunk road network. These Profiles summarise the key aspects of each route in terms of its operation, safety and maintenance. These profiles are currently being updated and will be used to highlight problems and issues relating to each route as an aid to strategic decision-making. There are also Route Action Plan Studies on 10 trunk roads, focusing on those with the greatest operational safety and maintenance problems. Three further studies are underway. I will write to Mr Tosh shortly with details. Each study has identified a phased and targeted programme of low to medium cost improvements. A significant number of these have been implemented and others will follow as resources permit.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale it envisages for the multi-modal appraisals in each of the A68 Dalkeith bypass schemes in The Strategic Roads Review – Scheme Decisions .

Sarah Boyack: Multi-modal appraisal will be carried out on the A68 (Dalkeith Bypass) schemes if, following consideration alongside other emerging priorities, the schemes remain worthwhile projects for inclusion in a future trunk road programme. I refer Mr Tosh to my answer to question S1W-2899 explaining how we plan to identify priorities for such a programme.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that a report was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise to analyse the potential economic benefits of completing the M74 northern extension and if so, whether it will publish the report.

Sarah Boyack: : I refer Mr Tosh to the answer given to question S1W-2823.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all of the land required for the projected M77 extension from Malletsheugh to Fenwick has been acquired, whether any land is currently subjected to compulsory purchase or whether any land is being acquired by negotiations, subject to conditions, including time delays in acquisition.

Sarah Boyack: The land for the M77 extension between Fenwick and Malletsheugh has not yet been purchased.   Three Compulsory Purchase Orders to acquire most of the land for the scheme were made at the end of last year. Subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures, ownership of this land will be vested in Scottish Ministers in spring 2000. Additional plots of land for various additional drainage, landscaping and access works are being acquired by negotiation.